As many people frantically search for the perfect present this time of year, some forget about the life-changing gift of their time, which is why one organization is making the most of each minute for kids who may need it most.

"Nick is like my brother. He takes me out, and we do fun things like getting ice cream, going to Fun Plex," Mason said.

For years, Mason waited for a permanent home. He spent years in foster care, between three different foster homes. Today, roughly 3,500 Nebraska children are wards of the state, living outside of their own home.

"As a foster parent myself to a number of children, I can tell you that these kids, even though I was a positive adult role model, too, as a foster parent, they needed somebody else," said Deb Neary, with Midlands Mentoring Partnership.

Through a $30,000 grant provided by Midlands Mentoring Partnership, BBBS of the Midlands will match 20 area kids with mentors as soon as possible. The non-profit plans to continue supporting and growing the program itself in the future.

"Giving them somebody that they can rely on, (and) they can talk to that's outside of the program, that's outside of the system. Someone that's going to come back tomorrow without the court saying they have to come back tomorrow," said Katie Hayes, with BBBS.

The goal is to collaborate with other organizations to offer an extra layer of support for foster children. The support of staff at BBBS helped Nick Dizona feel confident as a mentor to Mason, facing common challenges for foster children.

"He was just confused. He didn't know what he wanted to be. He didn't know how he was supposed to act. He didn't know the things he was supposed to say," Dizona said.

After casual conversations, Mason is now a confident student and copes with challenges appropriately, which are incredible accomplishments -- considering the years he spent uncertain of his home or people around him.

Although Mason is now adopted, Dizona is still as important as ever.

"He's still my brother, and I still love him,” Mason said.

If you'd like to mentor a foster child or any of the other kids on Big Brothers Big Sisters' waiting list, visit its website.